Track-shifting apparatus.



C. C. JACOBS.

TRACK sHlFlNG APPARATUS.

mien-ted Jqn 4 1916 APPLICATION FILED IAN. I0. I9I2.

IIIHETII-- f Y r f I 3 SHEETS-SHEET I C. C. JACOBS.

TRACK-SHIFTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. I0, |912.

1,167,075f Patented Jan. 4, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEEY 2.

C. C. JACOBS.

TRACK SHIFTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. Io, I9I2.

1,167,075. I'IIIenIed l1311.4, 1916.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.A

CHARLES o. JACOBS, OF AMEOY, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOE To FREDERICK o. AUSTIN,or

` CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TEACK-SHIFTING APPARATUS.

'Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 4, 1916.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that L'CHARLES C. JACOBS, acitizen. ofthe United States of America, and resident of Amboy, Leecounty, Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inTrack-Shifting Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to trac'k shifting apparatus in general, but moreparticularly to those which are adapted for luse in connection withexcavating machinery.

Generally stated, the object of my invention is to provide a novel andhighly efficient arrangement for shifting the track of an excavatingmachine or other traveling body, whereby only a short length of track isnecessary, as with this arrangement .the track can be shifted, forwardeach time the excavator or other body reaches the front end thereof.

A special object is to provide a novel arrangement whereby the excavatoris raised and the `track' then shifted by practically one -and the sameOperation of a winding' drum or other mechanism on the said excavator orbody.

To these and other useful ends, my invention consists in mattershereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings-Figure l is a side elevation of a trackShifting apparatus embodying the principles of my invention, showingportions thereof broken away for convenience of illustration. Fig. 2 isan enlarged transverse section showing the body down on the track. Fig.3 isa similar view showing the body raised from the track. Figs. 4, 5and 6 are diagrams showing the body in the various positions incident toa forward shifting of the track. Fig. 7 is a view showing the manner inwhich my invention is employedV in connection with an excavator of thattype in which the frame or body thereof issupported at each side of theditch or excavation.l

As thus illustrated, -my invention comprises a track A for the wheels orrollers B of the body C. The ground supports D are disposed at eachlside of Said track, and are provided with depressions d forminginclines. Normally, the wheels E on the sides of the body rest in saiddepressions to permit the body to travel along said track. Flexibleconnections d connect the body with said supports D, said connectionspreventing the wheels from sliding, up the in- Y clines when the bodymoves forward, but

permitting said wheels to travel up the other inclines when the body isbacked in the other direction. By transferring the upper ends of theseconnections to the points d2 the operation can be reversed.

:The meansfor moving the body forward and backward and shifting thetrack comprises the `sheaves F mounted on posts fat opposite ends of thetrack, and a cable f eX- tending around these sheaves and havin the ends'thereof secured to the'opposite en s of This frame may be equipped withexcavatl ing apparatus of any suitable, known or approved character.

The operation is as follows z-As the apparatus stands in Fig. 4, thebody C has reached the forward end pf the track. A rotation of the drumf2 in the direction indicated serves to' draw the body C backward,andthe inclines serve to raise the body off from the track, eitherpartially or entirely, and, if entirely, the connections d then limitthe backward movement of the body on the high portions of the saidSupports D, as indicated. A continued rotation of the drum in the samedirection then pulls on the rear end of the track which latter is nowrelieved of the weight of the body. This pull moves the track forward,as shown in Fig. 6, and a reverse rotation of the drum f2, as indicatedy5 in this figure, then pulls on the forward end of the track. This drawsthe wheels E down into the depressions d, thus restoring the wheels orrollers B to the track A, and thereby making it possible`fto again move'the body forward on thotrack. At this time the connections d serve todrag the supports D along with the body. Thus only a short length oftrack is necessary, and the extent of shift of the track is only limitedby the length thereof.

It is obvious that the details of construction can be changed or variedwithout dev parting from the spirit of my invention. For this reason Ido not limit myself to the exact construction shown and described.

I t isalso obvious that my improved track shifting arrangement can beemployed for different purposes. AsQshoWn, it is eniployed asa meansfor/shifting the tracks at each side of the ditchor excavation, inconjunction with an excavating machine. In such case, my improvedconstruction is especially adapted .for the purpose, as in the operationof an excavating machine of this kind, it is usual to back the machine adistance, each time an operation is completed, for the purpose offinishing the operation. As this occurs each time the machine reachesthe forward ends of the track, it follows that the track shiftingoperation is practically -coincident with the usual backing up of theexcavator.

I do not limit myself to the exact construction shown and described.

What `I claim as my invention is:

1. Al track shifting apparatus comprising a track, a Wheeled bodymounted to travel thereon in either direction, mechanism for removingthe Weight of the body from said track, and means for shifting the trackend- Wise While thus relieved of the Weight of said body,l saidmechanism comprising ground supports having inclines therein, Wheelsengaging said inclines to lift the bodywhen the latter moves in onedirection, connections for shifting said supports When the body moves inthe opposite direction, and means for reversing said connections topermit reverse travel of said lbody on said track. Y

`2. A track shifting apparatus comprising a track, a Wheeled bodymounted to travel thereon, mechanism for removing the vveight of thebody from said track, and'means for shifting'the track endvvise Whilethus relieved of the Weight of said body, and means serving also topropel said body along said track, and said mechanism including supportswhich slide on the ground, means having Wheels for engaging saidsupports, and `connections ybetween saidsupports and body, entirelyseparate from and independent of said last mentionedg'meansf- 3. A trackshifting apparatus comprising a track, awheeledbody mounted to travelthereon, mechanism for removing the Weight of the body from said track,and means for shifting the track endvvise,l While thus relieved of theWeight of said body, said means 'comprising iexible connections from thebody to each end of said track, and said mechanism including supportswhich slide on the ground, means having Wheels for engaging saidsupports, 'and connections between said supports and body, entirelyseparate from and independent of said last mentioned means. 'f

v4.- A track shifting apparatus comprising a track, a Wheeled bodymounted td travel thereon in either direction, mechanism for removingthe VWeight-of the body from said track, means for shifting hthe trackendvvise while thus relieved of the Weight of said body, said mechanismcomprising ground supports, inclines disposed at opposite angles betweensaid supports and body, and means for engaging said inclines to lift thebody by movement of the latter in either directin on the track.

5. In a track shifting apparatus, a track, a wheeled body movable ineither direction thereon, mechanism for raising the body, rmeans on thebody for pulling on the end of said track tooperate said 'mechanism andshift the track, means for pulling on the other end of the track to movethe body for- Ward on the track, and means for reversing said mechanismto permit reversal of travel of said body on said track.

Signed by me at Chicago, Illinois, this sixth d'ay of January, 1912.

CHARLES C. JACOBS.

IVitnesses:

GEO. F. SCHMIDT, E. H. CLEGG.

